All articles by System Administrator – Page 115
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Article
House of Lords seeks admin firm
The House of Lords Staff Pension Scheme has tendered its administration for the first time. The scheme, for employees of Parliament's second chamber, is a public sector pension scheme and staff have the choice between a final salary scheme and a defined contribution plan. The chamber is looking for an ...
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Article
Falkirk Council adds PC deal
Falkirk Council is introducing a home computing scheme in a bid to modernise public sector perks. The local authority predicts that 1,600 of its 7,000 staff will take part in the offering. HR adviser Lisa Harvey said: "There's [the perception] that the public sector might be a wee bit old ...
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Article
La Tasca firm adds voluntary benefits package
La Tasca has introduced a new voluntary benefits scheme to help recruit staff in a competitive market. The firm started negotiating discounts directly with suppliers last year, but decided to introduce an off-the-peg scheme in January. Gavin Wetton, HR director at the chain of Spanish Tapas restaurants said: "I think ...
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Article
Complinet boosts take-up by 20%
Complinet has boosted its pension take-up by 20% after it introduced its benefits package online. The company, which publishes regulatory financial information, employs 150 staff in London and New York and wanted to reduce the time spent on benefits admin.Sheena McLullich, head of HR, said: "Before [the online service], people ...
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Standard Life Healthcare extends service
Standard Life Healthcare has extended its online health and well-being service. The service will now be rolled out to include claims-related schemes, and is intended to assist employers managing increased health and safety regulations. It includes information on stress management, healthy eating, exercise and sleep.
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Article
HSA Group and HealthSure to merge
HSA Group and HealthSure have announced plans to merge. The merger will retain the HSA Group name and is subject to FSA approval. The companies stated no jobs are at risk . HealthSure members approved the move at a recent EGM. HealthSure chief executive Richard Sear will lead HSA's northern ...
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Article
Sona to shape up staff
A desire to reach out to couch potatoes who might otherwise shirk the workplace gym is behind health provider Sona's new Shape Shifter programme, Sona provides a three-month training scheme encouraging improved lifestyle and weight management options tailored to less active staff. It will operate across all of Sona's 110 ...
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Article
SBC Systems launched in UK
A new benefit administration software company has been launched in the UK following an increase in the demand for flexible benefits.SBC Systems, which previously operated in the USA, hopes that its software can be a valuable tool for large organisations with over 5,000 to cope with complex administration of benefits ...
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Article
IFS buys ProShare
Employee share ownership organisation ProShare has been bought by the Institute of Financial Services (IFS). ProShare has been running training courses and conferences encouraging employers to set up share schemes for staff since it was created with funding from the Treasury, the Department of Trade and Industry and the London ...
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Article
A-Day modeller launched
Six major pension schemes have joined forces to produce an A-Day modeller capable of answering important questions for high-paid executives. Actuaries Lane Clark & Peacock and pension consultants Anthony Hodges Consulting developed the Pension Mentor with help from employer pension schemes such as Cable & Wireless and Diageo. The product ...
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Article
SPC launches A-Day advisory service
The Society of Pension Consultants has launched a service to provide employers with information about pensions changes being introduced from A-Day. It has published a guide entitled ‘The New Lifetime Allowance and your Benefits’ on its web site that is intended as a background to the changes tabled for April ...
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Analysis
Rebranding your organisation
Case studies: Shell, Barclays, IBMIn summaryA generous benefits scheme can help to reshape public perception of an organisation and entice new recruits. Some firms with a staid, or even murky, reputation, have successfully used benefits to reinvent themselves. Benchmarking against competitors and building benefits into the brand are a good ...
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Analysis
Buyer’s Guide feature – Contract-based pensions
Article in fullThe market for group personal pensions (GPPs) and employer-sponsored stakeholder pensions went largely on hold during 2004, as providers grappled with the challenges to their systems caused by the new tax rules due in April 2006. When these come on stream, however, they should give a boost to ...
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Article
Employer Profile of Sony Ericsson’s benefits package
In summaryThe merger of Sony and Ericsson brought together staff from two very different nationalities and cultures. To help ease the transition, a benefits package was created from scratch to put all staff on an equal footing. Flexible benefits was taken out of both organisations in favour of a fixed ...
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Analysis
Feature – How to measure flexible benefits’ return on investment
In summaryCase study: Lloyds TSBFlexible benefits schemes are frequently hailed as the key to recruiting and retaining staff. Yet few employers actually measure the return on investment they are gaining from their scheme. Carrying out regular staff surveys and focus groups is one way of measuring if a scheme is ...
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Article
Feature - Preparing your pensions admin system for A-Day
A-Day check list A-Day is 6 April 2006, when an entirely new tax regime for pensions arrives. Scheme rules need reviewing before organisations' admin systems can be changed.The Inland Revenue requires electronic reporting and payment from A-Day.Dealing with the change means setting up a project group, with some tight deadlines, ...
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Article
Feature – Paying for a job for life?
If you read nothing else, read this ... Pressure on the funding of final salary schemes means trustees are likely to tighten up on ill-health early retirement requests.The rapid shift to defined contribution schemes leaves employees without a financial lifeline if they become too ill to work. Employers are filling ...
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Article
Feature – Team social events
If you read nothing else, read this ... Avoid events that are too physical or exclusive - and make sure that everyone joins in, including managers.Mix teams by function, sex or age so that people do not stick with their own group.Market the event internally to ensure staff participate and ...
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Article
Feature – Employee benefits in Norway
If you read nothing else, read this ...Defined benefit (DB) plans remain most common pension type and equate to 60%-70% of final salary, including social security benefits.The Norwegian government has driven pensions reform. New topics up for debate include whether occupational pension schemes should become mandatory.Employers can choose between defined ...
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Article
Feature – The business case for employee share schemes
In summaryBuilding the business case is a vital part of any benefits strategy. Points to consider typically include costs and the potential return on investment. When looking at share schemes reduced staff turnover, improved employee loyalty and employer tax savings could form the basis of any business plan.Article in fullWhen ...